July Favorites | Beauty

Without me even noticing, July has come and gone, and we're well onto summer holidays now with today marking the last day of this semester. How has all of this happened so quickly? I feel like within the blink of any eye, all the time in between Christmas and now has passed. Am I the only one who feel like this? Because frankly, that's quite scary.

Anyways, for most of July, a heat wave has been sweeping over Germany, leaving us with hot and humid weather, which don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed to the fullest, but that situation also forced me to alter both my make up and my hair care routines as the heat was slowly starting to wear me out - that definitely shows in this month's favorites.

Benefit's Erase Paste (27€)

Desperate and tired of my daily struggle with the dark circles under my eyes, I picked this up at the beginning of this month as I had read some really good reviews on it and hoped that it would put an end to the endless battle I've been fighting.
And it totally did! Every single penny spent on this was absolutely worth it.
The concealer's very creamy in consistence and takes some time and patience to blend in, but once it sits in place, it provides medium to full coverage, letting my dark circles dissapear almost completely! It doesn't go cakey or slide off my face throughout the day, which is great for hot summer months like this past one-
If you want to find out a little more about this product, you might want to check out my review on it.


Pantene Pro-V 'Repair and Care' Conditioner (4,99€)

As I mentioned, my hair went through a phase when it was frizzy and dry no matter what I did this month, making it almost impossible to style, let alone brush.
When I talked to my Mom about that, she recommended this conditioner to me, and as I found that Pantene Pro-V products seem to work best for my hair anyways, I decided to give it a go.
I was seriously suprised by the results when I used this for the first time. My hair went from being one big, frizzy mess to smooth and soft within just one wash, and it stayed that way even on the second day after I washed it.
I've been using this product ever since and I'm so pleased with how my hair's condition improved, so this one's definitely one to stock up on on my next trip to the drugstore.


Essence All About Matt! Oil Control Paper (1,99€)

Unlike for students from other countries, school always ends at the end of July, meaning that I had to spend most of the heatwave in crowded classrooms and halls - at 36 degrees Celsius. As you can imagine, there was a lot of sweating involved.
To keep me from feeling insanely gross and like I'm melting altogether, I wanted to purchase oil absorbing papers. I knew that my Mom loves the Shiseido ones she owns, but I decided to go for the Essence option as they're only a tenth of the price.
I have to say, I did get quite a few weird looks when I slapped these on my face, but they had the exact effect that I wished for. They absorbed all the sweat, leaving my face looking slightly matte.
These are definitely a must when you're travelling or attending a festival this summer!


Essie 'Bikini So Teeny' Nail Polish (7,99€)

I was in a drugstore in Berlin, waiting for my friends to pick up some bottles of water, so, as I always do, I wandered around the make up counters and ended up at the Essie one. As I had always admired their polishes but never actually owned one, I decided to pick one up. Damn impulse buys.
'Bikini so teeny' is a light blue shade that has some slight, almost not noticeable glitter running through it.
I've never had a nail polish last me this long without chipping. I wore this for around a week and it had only chipped slightly on one of my nails, and I was only wearing two coats of it.
With its great quality and its shade, which I find perfect for summer, this has easily become my favorite nailpolish ever.


PS... Love Eyeshadow (1,50€)

I also picked this up when I was having a look around Berlin's Primark. I heard mixed reviews about their make up range and wanted to try them out for myself, and as this was so cheap, I simply couldn't resist.
There is no shade name available, but the one I own is a light nude, very glitter shade.
There definitely is a little fallout to expect to respect with this one as it is pretty glittery, but when worn with primer underneath it, it lasts all day long.
I've even received a few compliments on this one, which I had never expected from an eyeshadow that cost me less than two Euros. This one's definitely a winner in my books!


What have you been loving this past month?

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Recent Reads #3 | All The Bright Places

Summer has begun, which means the season for binge reading is offically here! I don't know why, but every summer I manage to read a pile of five to ten books back to back - that might be because, y'know, I actually get to choose which books I want to read, unlike the assigned readings that my teachers like to throw at me.

As I mentioned in my post exams haul, I went to the bookstore for the first time in months the other day and found a bunch of books that I'd like to read this summer, but out of those, "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven stood out to me.

That was probably because even though you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at the cover, the story this book is telling is not a light-hearted one. It's the story of two teenagers who want to die.

One of them is Theodore Finch, who comes from a broken home. His father abused both his mother and Finch himself, and ended up leaving them when he was still a boy. Finch is an outcast at school, called "Freak" by next to everyone besides his two close friends. From a young age, he knew that he was different from other kids. He's rather intelligent, but he falls into deep depression after his good periods - he later finds out that he has bi-polar disorder, but in order to not worry anyone, he is easy-going an funny around the people he loves, leading them to be completely blind to what is going on with him.

The other one is Violet Markey, who used to be a happy girl with a perfect boyfriend, a great group of friends and a passion for writing.

Her life changed when she got into a car accident with her sister Eleanor on a snowy winter night, which she survived - but her sister didn't. Violet never really got over the events of said night, blaming herself to be responsible for her sister's death, leading her to become depressed, as well.

The first time our two main character meet is on the ledge of their high school's bell tower, which is the point where you should realize that this is not a happy-go-lucky kinda book that you've gotten your hands on.
Finch is thinking about what would happen if he commited suicide right there and then, when he realizes that he is not alone up there, and that in that exact same moment, another student is about to take her life - Violet.

After he talks her down the ledge, the two of them don't speak a word about that event - the rest of the school obviously does, because come on, this is high school we're talking about - until they are set up to work on a project for their U.S. history class together.
For that project, the teens are supposed to travel their home state, Indianna, and explore the great and the small, unkown places it has to offer, and report about them at the end of the year.

While they work on that project, Finch and Violet start growing closer. More hesitantely at first, as Violet doesn't want to open up about how she really feels and everything that has happened to her, but eventually, the two end up falling in love.

It's not the heart-eyed kind of love, though, because both of them are still convinced that they are broken, especially Finch, even though he doesn't let anyone see what he really thinks about himself.

You realize where this is going, aren't you?

There is no happy ending to this story. There's a certain point in the book where you realize what the end is leading up to, and you watch the events unfold in front of you, and you cover your mouth with your hands because how could the worst thing happen?

I struggled with putting all that this has made me think and feel into the right words and I realized that I need to voice my opinion on it in two different ways.

On one hand, I absolutely loved this book in every way possible. The subject it has is obviously no laughing matter, and even though it is hard, and it is very sad, it is funny nonetheless. Jennifer Niven did a great job at creating a book with a message that is not eating at you, but giving you moments of light, moments of humor, so dry and dark and true.
The main characters were very well written. I hardly ever come across a book that doesn't have a leading character that makes me roll my eyes, but this one was an exception. Seeing the story unfold from Theodore Finch's eyes was a new experience for me because I have never seen from the view a person with a mental ilness before, and it was shaking, but it felt true, authentic. Violet is a character that I sympathized with because she blamed herself for what happened to her sister, and because of the relationship she had lost because I have a strong bond with my family - yes, even my annoying younger brother. She didn't seem overdramatic. I could feel her pain, I could follow her thoughts, I could see why she chose to do certain things. Just like Finch, she felt so damn real.

On the other hand, there is the aspect that what Jennifer Niven did by writing a book about people with mental illnesses. 

In my opinion, it is more than important to read this book. Because most of us will have read "The Fault In Our Stars", or any other book that will include a main character suffering with a physical illness, but mental illnesses are still a subject that is not discussed widely enough. There are still way to many people who think that they are freaks, people who don't search for help.

This is why I feel like the book had to end the way it did. It might be an eye opener to some, like it was to me.

That turned into quite a long ramble, didn't it? Phew. I just had to get these thoughts out of my system, because I finished this book at around 3pm, and around six hours later, it is still on my mind and I'm still trying to progress all that has unfolded in front of me.

It is one of those books that has that certain effect on you. And that's exactly why I would recommend it to anyone. Obviously, it's not the lightest of subjects, but in the way it is written, it makes you feel a kind of warmth, it kind of gives you an 'at home' feeling with its so human characters. And behind that colorful, unremarkable cover, this book carry and important message, one that should be read by as many people as possible,

"All The Bright Places" is available for 10,49€ on Amazon.

What book have you picked up this past month?

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23 Things To Look Forward To This Summer | Lifestyle

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I love summer. Not only because it's so sunny and warm outside and because it's now okay to eat ton s of ice cream without being judged (even though those things are prett darn nice), but also because of summer holidays and summer break, the latter starting in only one week.
I find it so incredibly nice to be able to remove myself from my everyday life for six weeks and commit to doing only things that I enjoy doing, which involves things like spending an entire day in the pool or watching a season of a TV show a day.

I'm probably not the only one who thinks like this, but as I know that there are a lot of people who are not as fortunate enough as us high school students to get a lot of time of, I decided to go ahead share a list of the little things to look forward to this summer!

1. Walks at the beach during sunset.

2. Going to amusement parks.

3. Roasting marshmallows over a campfire and making s'mores.

4. Jumping into a pool on an insanely hot day.

5. Eating ice cream. Loads of ice cream. All day, every day.

6. Spending one entire day doing nothing but tanning.

7. Wearing cute summer dresses.

8. Sitting on the trunk of a car, or in the garden, or simply on the street so you can have a better look at the stars.

9. Having a barbecue with your family and/or friends.

10. Sitting at the poolside with a really good book.

11. Finding an icredible pair of sunglasses in a shop.

12. TV marathons, because duh. What else is summer for?

13. Picking wild flowers and taking them home with you.

14. Also trying to make flower crowns out of said wild flowers but failing horribly.

15. Wearing the gorgeous sandals that were hiding at the very back of your closest.

16. Grabbing your bike and going on journey, without really knowing your destination, just letting it take you wherever.

17. Meeting up with friends that you haven't seen in ages as they all happen to be back in town.

18. Painting your toe nails in pretty colors because now people finally get to see and admire them again.

19. Baking - or at least attempting to - muffins, cupcakes and two different types of cake, all in one day. Simply because you were in the mood.

20. Having a day where you can sleep in. Even if that means sleeping until 4pm. Because let's be real, we all need that by now.

21. Running through a lawn sprinkler.

22. Freckles appearing again.

23.  Drinking iced coffee and coctails.

What is something that you are looking forward to this summer?

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Post Exams Haul

I have a serious issue. A serious issue regarding shopping sprees.

In my eyes, I'm someone who tries to refrain from impulse purchase which might happen while I'm grocery shopping - that doesn't mean that I don't ever slip up and "accidentally" end up buying three new nailpolishes. 

But because of that, I end up going completely overboard once I actually allow myself to spend some money during a day spent downtown - and as I recently finished my final exams for this semester, I totally did that the other day. And here's what went down.

This time, however, I didn't buy any clothing, which I'm pretty proud of. (I like to think that that's because I have some really strong will power and stayed away from those shops, not because I just couldn't find anything that I liked.)

But if you are interested in the clothes I recently picked up, you should definitely check out my Berlin haul!

But I did pick up some really exciting things - there's some beauty bits, some very much needed Lush products and even a few books, which I haven't had time for in months!

Let's dive into it, shall we?

Beauty wise, Breuninger is the place to be when you're here in Germany. They sell a wide range of high end make up brands, which is why I never spend less than half an hour in their store once I walk through that door.

The counter that I usually spent most of my time at is definitely the MAC one. The lipsticks always manage to lure me in, and within a short amount of time, my hand will be completely covered in swatches and my wishlist will have grown by at least two products.

I already had my eye on the Viva Glam II lipstick, a lighter brown toned nude shade with a Satin finish, back when I was in Berlin, but I didn't really have the time to think about whether the 20€ purchase would be worth it or not, so it ended up staying in Berlin. But when I picked up again while shopping in my own town, I just couldn't help but buy it.

You'll never believe me when I say this, but up to that day, I had never owned a Benefit product. I know, I know. But their counter had always overwhelmed me, there were to many things that were catching my eye at the same time and to be honest, they were all kinda out of my price range.

Somehow, I had left my common sense at home that day, because when I found myself swooning over their Erase Paste, I thought "You know what? Today's the day. Go. For. It" So I did.

Frankly, I did regret spending 27€ when I left that store, but that feeling was forgotten as soon as I used the product for the first time. If you want to know all about how great it is, you can read my review on it here.

Lush is that kind of store that I always pop into when I'm near it, even if I don't intend on buying anything, just to look at all their pretty products and inhale all the scents. Come on, you do that too.

However, I ran out of my trusty Cupcake mask and had heard great things about their Mask of Magnaminty, which claims to exfoliate your skin and fight against spots and blackheads, from various bloggers, so I picked that up for 7,95€.

I also realized that I had only one bath bomb left, so I bought and old favorite of mine - the Fizzbanger, which gives off the most amazing fresh, citrus scent once in the water and relaxes both my muscles and my mind. On top of that, I also got the Sex Bomb, which I have never tried before, It's more of a sweeter scent which has got a hint of floral in it, so I'm definitely excited to check those two out. Each of the two bath bombs were 4,95€.

I haven't been to an actual book store in months now. I mean, I ordered a book or two online, but ever since this semester started, I had absolutely no time to look for new books to read, let alone actually sit down with one.

But now that I'm so close to summer break, I did my annual shopping for summer readings to add to my evergrowing pile.

First off, I stumbled across "PS, I still love you" by Jenny Han, which was 10,49€. It's the sequel to "To all the boys I've loved before", which I talked about in the first installment of my Recent Reads. I really enjoyed her first book, it was such a light, sweet read which left me feeling strangely happy, so I'm really interested in how that story continues.

I also picked up "All the bright places" by Jennifer Niven for 9,99€ after I heard someone talk about it. It's about Theodore Finch, an outcast at his High School, and Violet Markey, who survived the car crash her sister died in. They meet on their school's bell tower when they both want to commit suicide by jumping, but after  they convince each other to not go through with it, the two of them get closer. I've only read the first hundred pages of this so far, but it's really sweet as well, and even though you might imagine it to be kind of dark, there is so much humor in this book as well.

And finally, there is "Love letters to the dead" by Ava Delliara, which was 8,99€. Now, I don't really know a lot about this book, not more than it says on the back anyways. It follows the story of Laurel, who is assigned to write a letter to a dead person for English class, but continues to do so afterwards. She writes about various subjects like school, friendships and her sister May, who passed away. It definitely sound interesting as I've never read a book that consists of letters and letters only - besides The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, which was pretty great. And you can't deny that the cover is rather pleasing for your inner hipster, can ya?

So there you have all the goodies that I picked up on my first free weekend in ages - I think it's safe to say that I shouldn't spend another one of those downtown any time soon.
If you're interested in any of the things I got, let me know in the comments down below - there's going to be reviews of most of these things coming your way rather soon!

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Benefit's Erase Paste | Beauty

I can't be the only one who lives in a constant battle against dark circles - we're talking the kind that just seems to never fade, even if you've had twelve hours of sleep and feel like you could conquer the world.

No, they'll always be there, making you look like you slept for around two hours and couldn't get yourself a coffee in the morning. To all the people who keep asking me if I'm ill - I'm not, thanks for your concern, but now's the time to stop taking the piss.

I've tried various concealers, most of which were budget products, with some more high-end ones thrown in the mix, but nothing seemed to work for me. Every product I had used covered my dark circles to a certain extend, but they'd always shine through anyways. Super frustrating, right?

Well, the weekend after I came home from my Berlin trip (if you're interested in what I picked up there, fashion and beauty wise, you should check out my haul) , I went shopping with my Mom, which never ends well - at least for my bank balance.

When I found myself roaming around the Benefit counter again, I decided that it was time for me to bite the bullet and finally purchase one of their products, so I got their "Erase Paste", which is a concealer that I had read really great reviews on, in the shade 1/light.

As you can see, the product comes in a pot - because of that, you get a spatula with it which will help you get the product out - a little complicated and messy, in my opinion, but as I only use this when I'm at home and not when I'm on the go, it's not that bad to me.

The Erase Paste also comes with a little handbook that includes advices regarding applying. It shows you how to use the product differently depending on whether you want to cover dark circles or spots, which I found really helpful.

As you can see, the product actually is a little lighter than it appears to be in the pot (thank god, the shade in the pot looked about 3 shades too dark for me).

The concealer has, as the name suggests, a rather thick, creamy consitentcy,  - because of that, you will need a little longer to work it into your skin, but it will also leave you with a dewy, slightly glowing finish!

This also has some seriously good coverage. I would class this as a medium to high coverage, depending on how much product I use - I tend to use a little more as that'll help me to erase my dark circles almost completely, with only the tiniest amount of darkness peaking through - which to me is like a miracle.

And as this has got really great coverage, a little goes a long way, meaning that the product should last you for a really long time!

The stay time of this is insane. Even though I don't use powder to set this as I found the paste to turn quite cakey when I do, the product lasts all day, still sitting where I applied it after around ten hours on the go.

Obviously, a lot of people will think twice about purchasing this at a price of 27€ - I did, too. I had this in my hand around five times and put it back on the counter before actually purchasing it.

But as this really does what it promises in the description and as you only need a tiny amount of product to cover your desired areas, this is a great investment which will last you ages, so if you, like me, are struggling with bad dark circles, I would highly advise you to check this out!

I would definitely like to browse through Benefit's products a little more, so I have a question for y'all - what is your favorite product of theirs that I should try in the future?

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17 Healthy Beauty Habits To Get Into | Beauty

Like a lot of things, make up is something that I personally learnt more about through trial and error. I bet all of you now have a picture of your younger selfes experimenting with your Mom's beauty collection or buying a foundation that is approximately three shades to dark for you, but you spent all of your pocket money on it and all the cool kids wore make up, so you totally wore it anyways. Because obvs.

I don't think any of us have gone through this journey without passing up a deadly beauty sin, and when you're still young and clueless, that is okay.

But now that I'm older and have gone a few years with this little hobby - or obsession - of mine, I
learnt an important thing or two regarding beauty that every girl should keep in mind.

And because there is still so much more to learn and I love reading these kinds of posts to see if there's still a way I could better myself, I'm going to share some healthy beauty habits that every single one of us should get into!

1. Remove all of your make up once you're done with your day.

2. Allow your skin a make up-free day once in a while.

3. Clean your brushes at least once a week.

4. Find a skin routine that fits your skin type and stick to it.

5. Never use face wipes to remover your make up. Ever.

6. Get matched to a foundation's shade before buying a random one and realizing that it either makes you look like you haven't slept in days or like you fell into orange paint.

7. File your nails every once in a while.

8. If you have no idea what you're doing, get your eyebrows plucked professionally. It'll save you the hassle of overplucked or shaven eyebrows.

9. Use an exfoliating face mask once a week to rid your pores of any the dirt or blackheads.

10. Never get your hands near your face unless you have to.

11. Always wear sunscreen during summer - there is nothing worse than sunburns,

12. Wash your hair every second day to avoid greasy hair getting in your face and causing breakouts.

13. Exfoliate your legs once a week.

14. Get a your hair cut every 2 months - that'll help grow in a healthy manner without getting dull, thin or even falling out.

15. Do not pick your nails. They'll just get more frail and will end up breaking.

16. Don't wear a full face of make up on a hot summer day. It will be extremely uncomfortable and might even clog your pores. Opt for something lighter, like a BB creme - or go without wearing anything at all!

17. Use hand lotion daily. Your hands will thank you in a few years' time.

What is one beauty habit you would advise others to get into?

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Berlin Clothing & Beauty Haul

As I mentioned when I talked about my carry-on essentials, I spent the past week exploring Berlin with my classmates - and obviously, besides all the culutral experiences and sightseeing, there was another big thing on our to-do list. Shopping.

The city I live in is by no means small, but it really can't compete with Berlin and its 3.5 million citizens. Judging by that, you can imagine that there are quite a few shops that I had only heard of, but never been to - so being in Berlin was the chance to get my hands on some damn neat gems.

I didn't really take care of my purse and what it contained, at least until I came home and realized that oh my god, what had I done, so I might've gone a little bit crazy within those three days I spent downtown.

Did you think I was exaggerating? I think it's safe to say that I wasn't. I actually wanted to check out some more stores, but we only ever had a few hours to roam around the shopping districts per day, so there simply wasn't enough time. Another reason to visit Berlin again!
Anyways, let's get into all the things that I bought, shall we?

The first shop I, and just about every other girl in my year, went to was Primark - here in Germany, there are only a handful of their stores, and all of them are loacted in the North, while I live in the South. Totally not fair, especially after I realized just how many cool things they had!

As we were kind of stressed out, I only got to try on and pick out a part of the things that I had an eye on, but some of them went home with me nonetheless.

I got a PS... Love lipliner, which I assume to be the shade 01 as it says so on the packaging, for 1,50€. It's a lighter, pink toned nude which looked like it would be a perfect match for MAC's "Kinda Sexy", so I'm really looking forward to giving that combo a go.

I also got a single eyeshadow of the same brand for 1.50€, which sadly doesn't have the shade's name on it, but it's a rather glittery, white to silver shade.

And because I didn't want to leave without any jewelery, I got the Aquarius version of the horoscope two-row necklace, 'cause y'know, that's my starsign- I actually wanted to get the bracelet version as well, but I was so stressed out that I completely forgot about it. Woops. It was 2.50€, which I think is incredibly cheap.

Clothing wise, the only thing that I got is this kind of peachy colored blouse that's made of a very lightweight material that feels comfortable on the skin, which certainly is not a given at a price tag of just 10€. It's got quite a V-neck, which I usually don't go for, but I found it to look very classy. You could either wear this with the sleeves down or roll them up halfways. I only wear the latter, actually, as I feel like it gives you an "I didn't even make the effort to look this great" kinda look.

We do have H&M here, but most of the stores are a hot mess and make my anxiety reach sky high levels.

When I went into the one located at the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, which is basically the cities biggest shopping area, it was so simple and chic and organized that I actually had fun shopping there for the first time in forever.

I've been looking for some simplistic rings for quite some time now, so when I found these, I had to get them. For just 4,99€, you get four different rings, two of which are smaller and can be used as knuckle rings,while the other two are a bit bigger.

In my opinion, these are so gorgeous and could spice up pretty much any outfit.

When we were planning our shopping trips, one of my friends mentioned how much she wanted to pay a visit to Gina Tricot, a store that I'd never heard of before, but once she showed me some of the clothing on their website, I was sold.

I tried on a lot more things than I ended up buying, simply because I felt like some of their clothing didn't really compliment or was meant for my body shape, but this flowy shirt caught my eye.

I like flowy tops in summer as you can wear them with both shorts by day and more chic pants by night, without getting too hot and looking effortlessly elegant.

This one's got a pretty revealing back and a slight V-neck - again, where did this change of heart come from? Nonetheless, the 19,95€ this cost me was money well spent.

I was desperate to pay a visit to Kiko, even though there's a store in my city because I wanted to check out more of their products as I had only owned a lipstick and a lipliner before this trip. They also had a up to 50% sale going on, so can don't give me the stink eye. This was totally justified and very much needed.

Sticking with lip products, the first thing that went into my shopping basket was the Smart Lip Pencil in 702 for 1,20€, which is a bit of a bolder, brighter pink - a summery shade, without being too in your face, which is perfect for me as I'm not really one for bold lips.
Then I got a single eyeshadow in the shade "Infinity / 219" for 2,40€, a more glittery red toned brown shade which will be absolutely amazing for fall and winter.

And, as I'm a serious nail polish addict that should probably consider going to rehab - seriously, owning over 50 bottles can't be normal - I picked up two of them in shades 512, a slightly sparkly grey/muted purple and 359, a brighter peachy shade, for 1,90€ each.

Zara is a shop that intimidates me. Whenever I walk in there, there's so many fashionable people roaming around, looking at those super gorgeous clothes, and I legit feel like a sack of potatoes. No joke.

A friend of mine, however, loves their clothing, so I decided to give it a go and finally get something from there. And let me tell you, when I found this peplum top, I didn't care that it technically was a size too big. Nope, it was in the sale, and it was super gorgeous, and I needed to have it.

It was only 12,99€, which is not a price tag I would expect to find in Zara, and while I've only worn it once after buying it, I got quite a few compliments on it, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This is when you know you've made the right choice, ladies and gents.

Last but not least is the biggest impulse buy in the history of impulse buys. My friends were only looking to buy a few more bottles of water because it was flippin' hot, but as always, I got distracted.

I always seem to end up in front of the Essie counter whenever I'm looking to pick up basic stuff like toothpaste, or toilet paper - or water. And as I'm probably the only beauty blogger on the planet to not own a polish by this brand and I've been eyeing up a list of shades for some time now, I picked up Bikini So Teeny, a pale blue shade that has tiny bits of shimmer running through it, for 7,99€.

To be honest, there were a few more things in the mix, but all of them were either little knick-knacks or things that I bought for my family, like freaking expensive chocolates for my Dad, a scarf for my Mom and a teddy bear for my brother - guess you wouldn't be that interested in those, are ya?

The thing is, as I'm typing this, another big bag of stuff I bought the weekend after I got home from Berlin is sitting across the room, silently judging me because that's supposed to be an "After Exams" haul in the making. Soon, I promise.

Have you ever been to Berlin? If you have, what's the greatest thing you bought there?

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7 Summer Adventures That Will Cost You Next To Nothing | Lifestyle

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I know that not everyone can afford a fancy holiday at least once a year - I mean, I myself have never even seen the beach with my own eyes before, so there's that.
The fact that I don't get to travel too much has made me very adventurous, though - when you're young and bored, you seem to come up with the funniest ideas to spend your free time.

That way, I've come across plenty of activities that you should definitely try out during summer if you don't have the chance to get away and only a small budget - if those two things apply to you, definitely check the following things out!

1. Get lost in your own city! Get onto a bus, or the underground, and stay on there until the very last station. Once you get off, you'll probably be able to explore a completely unkown area of your own hometown - who knows which cute vintage shops or small cafés you might come across?

2. Get up really early in the morning to watch the sunrise and feel like you accomplished something by waking up at a horrendous time because you'll have an entire day ahead of you.

3. Have a barbecue old-school style! Gather a few friends in an outdoor area, collect some wood and make a bonfire over which you can roast marshmallows, wieners or stick bread. There is something special about the smell of burnt wood on your clothes and the taste of slightly burnt marshmallows that will remind you of your childhood and make you feel all wrm and cozy inside.

4. Grab yourself a hammock and put it up in either your garden, if you're lucky enough to have one, or if you're like me, drive to a forest to put it up there. Whether you do that alone or take some friends with you, just chilling in it, reading and maybe napping for a bit is not only fun, but it'll also leave you feeling super relaxed.

5. Go swimming in either a lake or river. Swimming pools are cool and all that, but there is something about swimming surrounded by nature that is so peaceful. Also, those are usually not as crowded as swimming pools, so if you want to avoid huge crowds which will definitely invade your personal space, this is the place to be.

6. Take a photo of all the lovely things you see. I've been really getting into this lately, and I love sitting down at the end of the day and look through all the photos I took. No matter if it's flowers, or a funny sign, or your friends - some of those might capture amazing memories.

7. Camp outside! This is not only for people who have a garden - even though I'm totally jealous of y'all, just saying - you could totally camp on a balcony as well. Grab yourself a air matress, a blanket and a pillow and sleep under the stars. the air is so much fresher than it would be in you 30 degrees Celsius bedroom and you get to stargaze until you drift off into sleep.

What is something that you want to do this summer?

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All Used Up | Empties #2

It's been a while since my last empties post, hasn't it? Ever since then, I've been trying to use up as many products as possible - which I haven't gotten any better at, to be honest - and as a fair share of them has been pilling up in my drawer over the weeks, I decided it's finaly time time to share them with you again!

(the Lush face mask is missing, as my Mom accidentally threw it away when I stayed with them this weekend. She's not taking this entire bloggint thing too seriously, is she.)

Garnier Micellar Water (4,95€)

Before I discovered this product, I had always used face wipes to take off my make up. I know, I know, that was really bad, and probably one of the reasons why I was constantly having breakouts.

This, on the other hand, is a small miracle for me. Without applying too much pressure, it takes of my entire make up, including waterproof eyeliner and mascara. 

It leaves my skin feeling super clean and fresh, without irritating it r causing any breakouts - this is what dreams are made of, ladies and gents.

Would I repurchase?

I already have! I'm halfway through my new bottle of this, and I will probably never buy any other make up remover ever again.

Lush Cupcake Fake Mask (10,45€)

I've spoken about this product before in an in-depth review, and I still love it as much as I did back then.
This masks ingredients include rhassoul mud, linseed infusion,Organic Cocoa Powder and Mint, all of which are supposed to rid your pores of all the dirt and give you a deep cleanse, while also battling breakouts and oily skin.
Obviously, this didn't rid me of all my spots, but it did make them less obvious or smaller ones dissapear. It also left my skin incredibly soft and smelling of cocoa and mint, which is heaven. Obvs.

Would I repurchase?

While I loved this, I have also heard a lot of great things about Lush's other face masks, especially their Mask of Magnaminty, so I would rather check that one out before repurchasing this one again. But I might come back to this one day, because it really was lovely.

Christina Aguilera Eau de Parfum

I cannot remember when I got this parfum for the life of me, I think it must've been a present from my parents for my birthday a few years back when a friend of mine owned it and I needed to have it. Really badly.

Just like i do with about every single perfum I own, I loved this dearly when I got it and wore it every single day without fail, but when I discovered a new perfum this was left on my dressing table, forgotten a few months later.

I recently picked this up again and fell for it like I did when I first got it. It's a bit of a stronger scent - oriental, a little flowery and pretty sexy. It doesn't wear of throughout the day, which is amazing for a budget friendly perfume.

Would I repurchase?

To be honest, I hardly ever repurchase perfumes, simply because by the time I'm finished with one, there are four more waiting to be used up. I might look into the other Christina Aguilera scents, though.

LR Colour's Carbon-Black Eyeliner (13,95€)

This bad boys falls into the category "may not have been loved widely, but has been loved deeply".

Before my uncle got this eyeliner for me last summer, I had never heard of the company it was from, but I soon discovered that they're doing some really high quality products.

This eyeliner lasted insanely long before drying out. I started using it sometime in fall, and it asted me 'til this spring. That's longer than most high school relationships, just sayin'.

Because of the thin felt tip, it was really easy to apply and came out inky black.

Would I repurchase?

This actually got replaced by my Maybelline 36h gel linerm which is even better than the LR one.
So no, sorry buddy, I'm totally over you. Mostly.

Is it normal that I feel like accomplished something great by using all of the mentioned products up? Or is that just the shopaholic in me?

Either way, I will definitely continue to collect my empty products to share them with y'all!

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5 Things Travelling Taught Me | Travel

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Being a mostly broke student whose money is spent on bills, food and other addictions, aka lipsticks, I'm obviously not the most well-travelled person, even though I'd like to be one day.

But I already had a few experiences while travelling myself, some of which have certainly been more pleasant than others, but in my eyes I have so far always come home with a new lesson learnt - so I tought: why not share some of them with you guys?

1. Meeting various people from all around the world has opened my eyes to the fact that it's so important to value the little things.
No matter if it's the time you get to spend with family and friends, having fun and being careless, or the people who make your travels go smoother, like stewardesses and hotel staff, or a day out exploring the city, or a nice meal at the end of the day.
I feel like I don't treasure those things as much as I should, and whenever I'm away on holiday I realize that I shouldn't take them for granted.

2. Stepping away from the internet, social media and my phone and laptop in general is way more relaxing than I would've ever tought.
I don't think we realize how much of our life we spend on the internet, and how consuming it can get - and how shitty the internet can make us feel.
Not being able to use my phone for most of the time when I spent three weeks in the US left me feeling more relaxed than I had been in a long time, without worrying about constantly checking social media or staying in touch with people. Really, that works wonders.

3. If you can survive seeing someone almost 24/7 for a week or two without going insane or snapping and falling out with them, they really are amazing friends that you should keep close to your heart.
I've been on quite a few school trips and shared rooms with more people then I could remember, and I lost my marbles more than once - the only people whose throats I haven't been at yet are girls who I've been friends with for over five, some of them even ten years now. After travelling with them to completely unkown countries, I now know that I can count on them in any kind of situation, from sudden lady problems to pushy guys, language barriers, or getting stuck in a bathroom stall.

4. Getting homesick is part of the whole thing. It doesn't always happen to me, but there will most definitely come a point when you're seven thousand miles away from home and your day hasn't gone the way you wanted it to and you lost a 20 dollar note and then you dropped a bowl of cereal and you'll find yourself sitting on the kitchen floor, crying and wishing your Mom was there to comfort you, or even just to laugh at you for being so dramatic.
Same applies for being lonely, especially whe you're travelling with a large group of people who are all friends and you kind of feel like the odd one out. It won't always be that way, don't worry. Both they and you will open up to one another after one or two days - I became friends with people who appeared to absolutely despise me when we started our trip.

5. When you're going abroad, don't just stick to your culture and look for restaurants that offer food you know.
Exploring a new place's culture is the most interesting thing about being away from home - yes, it's not all swimming in the hotel's pool or tanning on the beach.
Get out of your hotel, take a cab and drive downtown, and just wander. Get lost. Go into a local pub, or a cafe, or a restaurant. Have a look around the shops. Mingle with the locals. You will get so much more out of that one day of adventure than you would out of a day spent trying to tan and getting a sunburn.


What is something that you have learnt while travelling?

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Carry-On Essentials | Travel

It's finally July! For me, this month means freedom - even though I'm technically still in school - tan lines, and obviously, travelling!

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I'm leaving for Berlin next week, and I'm also going to travel some more with my family in August. So, to celebrate the fact that it's the most wonderful time of the year and I'm finally getting out of my home town and out into the big, wide world again, I decided to share a series of a few travel and summer related posts on here.

To me, doing some planning before going on a trip is mandatory. If I don't make a list of what I need to pack, I will live in constant fear that I'll have forgotten something important, and probably have a breakdown once I'm on my way. Not the greatest start for a holiday.

That doesn't aplly for my suitcase only, but also for my carry-on.
And because your carry-on is supposed to support you during your journey, especially if you're facing a long flight or train/bus/car journey, I wanted to share my absolute carry-on essentials.

First off, I'll obviously need my passport. That's the one thing you need to remember no matter what, especially if you're looking to leave the country.

As long journey can get really boring over time, I usually carry a few things to keep me entertained, because y'know, the entertainment system on your plane might not be working and you'll be stuck on an eight hour flight without any movies to watch. (That was hell, by the way.)

To avoid said situation, I usually pack a book - for my Berlin trip, that'll be The Maze Runner, which I've wanted to read for ages, as well as my phone and my headphones - the latter might also come in handy when you're seated next to someone who likes to talk, or someone who won't stop snorring...

And, as excessive phone use is going to drain your battery sooner or later, I make sure to always have my portable charger with me on journeys - this has saved my butt so many times, while sitting in London Heathrow for five hours or when I realized that I didn't charge my phone over night - every buck I invested in this was worth it.

Travelling can wear you out quite a bit, leaving you feeling dirty and/or poorly. To deal with that, I keep a few things to pamper myself a little in my carry-on. Body sprays are definitely a must in my eyes, as you'll probably end up getting somewhat smelly, and no one wants that. Victoria's Secret do a wide range of those, all of which smell absolutely gorgeous!
As my hands get pretty dry on an average day, heat or air-conditioning can wear them out even more - because of this, I want to have some hand creme with me to help with those bad boys. Same thing applies for my lips, which are also on the drier side and tend to get a little chipped - lip balm, like my EOS one right here, is very much needed.

And for my hair, which often turns into a knotty mess when I go for a few hours without brushing, I pack my Tangle Teezer, which appears to be the only hair brush to work with my hair at this point.

We all know that the food you get on a plane and train is pretty much either hit or miss, so I like having some snacks with me - as chocolate would not survive the summer heat and a bag of chips probably wouldn't fit, Haribo's gummi bears are usually an easy choice. And to battle bad breath, which, let's be real here, we all get during a longer journey, chewing gum is your best friend.

Lastly, I like having my sunglasses in my carry-on as you can hide your dark circles and tired eyes under them, while looking like a celebrity that just got off the plane from LA. Are you famous or just half asleep? The world may never know.

What is something that you need to have in your carry-on?

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